The present invention generally relates to computer-aided design (CAD) software and more particularly to a computer-based system and method for building generic function calls for dynamically switching between different CAD platforms.
Computer-aided design (CAD) generally refers to the application of computers to the product development process by developing computer models of those products. Almost any product, and any form thereof, can be modeled by one of a plethora of CAD systems. Products are normally modeled on the basis of certain properties, such as form, dimension, tolerance and structure. Important aspects of these properties are geometry, imagery, and spatial manipulation. Thus, CAD systems rely heavily on computational geometry and computer graphics.
FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of a CAD platform 14 in a CAD system 10. Examples of CAD platforms are MicroStation, AutoCAD, Visio, Intellicad, Imagineer, etc. The CAD system includes a data source 12, including a database 18 for storing volatile or nonvolatile information, and working data 20 that may include model data representing computational modeling of entities of a product being designed. The working data 20 is usually stored temporarily in random access memory (RAM), or retrieved from more permanent memory in the database 18. The working data represents information utilized by the CAD platform 14 for performing CAD functions on the entity and data representative thereof.
The CAD platform is a computer-based tool for performing different functions of design processes. Common functions of the CAD platform include instructions for model definition 22, manipulation 24 of a model or model data, and generation of a picture 26 based on the model. Further, the CAD platform includes utilities 28 to assist a CAD user in carrying out CAD fiunctions, database management tools 30 for managing and controlling the configuration and organization of information contained in the database 18 or working data block 20, and any number of CAD applications 32. The applications 32 of the CAD platform include the specific CAD computer program code and function calls proprietary to the different CAD platforms listed above, as well as general functions performed by all CAD platforms. The applications 32 also include any applications programming interfaces (APIs) by which CAD users interact with the CAD platform. An input/output block 16 provides the conduit through which user commands and instructions are provided to the CAD platform.
The term xe2x80x9cmodelxe2x80x9d as used herein is a representation of an entity, which in turn is an abstract artifact or property of a design on which the actual product is based. Thus, a model is dependent on what property of the design is to be modeled. Each CAD platform generates model data representative of the entity, for manipulation according to computational instructions, or for display on a graphical display. Computational instructions are also known as function calls, which generally refer to a group of steps employed by the CAD platform for performing a certain manipulation on model data.
The computational and modeling methods and parameters employed by CAD systems, while having a certain degree of correspondence, are inherently different and often incompatible from one CAD platform to another. For example, a simple function such as drawing a square may involve computations of spatial geometry, coordinate functions, and three-dimensional rendering. Additional properties such as texture, shading, and illumination require many more computations and computer modeling techniques. The methods employed by one particular CAD platform for manipulating model data, or the platform-specific function calls with respect to particular model data, may vary considerably from the function calls of another particular CAD platform. The function calls generated from one of any of these CAD platforms may be different from and unrecognizable by any other CAD platform.
What is needed is a system and method for building one set of executable generic function calls on any CAD platform, which are able to be executed on any of a variety of other CAD platforms with equivalent functionality and preserve as much of the computational integrity of the product as possible.
The present invention provides a system and method for CAD platform-neutral operation in a CAD system. A CAD system includes a processor for executing one of a plurality of CAD platforms and a memory for storing a plurality of generic CAD functions, where the generic CAD functions are emulated after functions supported by a selected one of the plurality of CAD platforms. In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of executing neutral CAD functions includes the steps of determining which one of the plurality of the CAD platform is running, receiving a call to a specific CAD function via the running CAD platform, and forwarding the call directly to the running CAD platform if the running CAD platform is equivalent to the selected CAD platforms, otherwise redirecting the call to a corresponding one of the generic CAD functions in the memory.
In another embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for executing functional manipulations of model data representing an entity, wherein specific functions of the functional manipulations are addressed by a different set of function calls between a first and a second CAD platform. The method includes abstracting functions of the first CAD platform into a generic set of function calls building a set of generic executable functions based on the generic set of function calls, translating function calls from the second CAD platform into function calls for addressing the set of generic executable functions, and executing the generic executable functions according to the translated function calls.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus is provided for executing CAD platform-neutral functions. The apparatus includes a generic CAD function emulator that builds a set of generic CAD functions from selected specific CAD functions, a CAD-neutral library that stores the set of generic CAD functions, and a plurality of CAD drivers coupled with the CAD-neutral library, each one configured to interact with a separate one of the plurality of CAD platforms, that receive a function call for a platform-specific function, and direct the function call to a corresponding generic function.